More preemptive maintenance for extended towing
#1
01-18-2004, 10:33 PM
More preemptive maintenance for extended towing
89 F250, 7.5L, 85,000 miles.
I am going on a vacation this spring, the full round trip is 4,000 miles. I want to get the best performance out of it and not have any issues during the trip.
I have done a complete tune up - plugs, wires, dist. rotor and cap, all filters, new oil, coolant flush, installing new differential oil and a few minor fixes like Idle Air Control motor which is known for going bad. Tranny has been serviced 2 years ago, so have the brakes. It runs good without any problems and the old 7.5L gets the usual 10-11mpg running empty and between 6-8 towing.
I am thinking of:
Replacing the O2 sensor (too early at 85,000?)
Cleaning EGR valve
changing the oil to fully synth.
changing the radiator hoses, both lower and upper to new ones, just in case, because they are also maintainance items as far as I understand. And they are 15 years old.
I cannot think of anything else to do to it. Would any of these help out with anything? I would also clean the throttle body but I don't know how to do that. I know that highway only driving is easier on it than other types of driving.
And, I also tried to pull the EEC-IV codes (for about 3 hours), following instructions which made it so easy, but I wasn't able to get anything to flash.
I am going on a vacation this spring, the full round trip is 4,000 miles. I want to get the best performance out of it and not have any issues during the trip.
I have done a complete tune up - plugs, wires, dist. rotor and cap, all filters, new oil, coolant flush, installing new differential oil and a few minor fixes like Idle Air Control motor which is known for going bad. Tranny has been serviced 2 years ago, so have the brakes. It runs good without any problems and the old 7.5L gets the usual 10-11mpg running empty and between 6-8 towing.
I am thinking of:
Replacing the O2 sensor (too early at 85,000?)
Cleaning EGR valve
changing the oil to fully synth.
changing the radiator hoses, both lower and upper to new ones, just in case, because they are also maintainance items as far as I understand. And they are 15 years old.
I cannot think of anything else to do to it. Would any of these help out with anything? I would also clean the throttle body but I don't know how to do that. I know that highway only driving is easier on it than other types of driving.
And, I also tried to pull the EEC-IV codes (for about 3 hours), following instructions which made it so easy, but I wasn't able to get anything to flash.
Last edited by carpe_diem; 01-18-2004 at 10:36 PM.
#2
01-19-2004, 12:05 PM
If I were you I would replace those radiator hoses and maybe even your heater core hoses. They are relatively cheap and will need to be done sometime soon probably. I would also look at your accessory belts. When you replace them get the old ones and put them under your seat just in case.
With the fully synthetic you could run into problems. You could develop some leaks because the synthetic will clean out your engine. If you know of some leaks on your engine already (valve covers, oil pan, etc) then I wouldn't put in synthetic. To clean out your throttle body take off the two hoses going from your air cleaner box to your throttle. Start up your truck and get a can of throttle-body cleaner (NOT carb cleaner) and spray it in your throttle body. Don't let it stall out. For exact instructions read the can.
You may also want to get someone to look at your front end. Make sure everything is aligned properly because if not 4000 miles will chew up your tires quickly. Make sure you check your wheel bearings as well.
Good luck!
-Matt
With the fully synthetic you could run into problems. You could develop some leaks because the synthetic will clean out your engine. If you know of some leaks on your engine already (valve covers, oil pan, etc) then I wouldn't put in synthetic. To clean out your throttle body take off the two hoses going from your air cleaner box to your throttle. Start up your truck and get a can of throttle-body cleaner (NOT carb cleaner) and spray it in your throttle body. Don't let it stall out. For exact instructions read the can.
You may also want to get someone to look at your front end. Make sure everything is aligned properly because if not 4000 miles will chew up your tires quickly. Make sure you check your wheel bearings as well.
Good luck!
-Matt